[hillfooter]

The weather was very hot toward the end of last week and when I noticed one of my 2 year old Barnevelders gaping and looking rather lethargic I wasn't too concerned as she had been broody for sometime and I thought she maybe suffering from Heat Stress.  I bathed her rear end in cold water to help cool her down expecting that might do the trick. 
I went back to see her in the early evening and she was still very clearly not improved and if anything she was worse gaping badly and obviously suffering some breathing distress with a rouping cough, sneezing badly and hunched up.  I examined her a bit more closely and isolate her in case it was some infection.  There was no sign of nasal discharge or watery eyes, no facial swelling to indicate a sinus problem.  She was sneezing and coughing quite badly and her breathing was laboured and she was stretching her neck as she inhaled.   She showed no interest in food or water.  I decided to pump some water into her and give her some antibiotics and started to worm her with Flubenvet in case of Gape worm.  However I was beginning to suspect a respiratory infection even though there was no nasal discharge or other cold like symptoms,  I mixed 100ml cool water with 0.2ml of Baytril and managed to get about half down her.  however I didn't really expect her to last the night. The next morning she was still with us and if anything appeared improved, the gaping was much reduced and the cough was almost gone.  There was some rales and sneezing.  I repeated the treatment of the previous day and this morning she was further improved, tail was up and she was preening and eating though not voraciously. She still had rattley breathing, though not as bad.

I'm a bit baffled about what this could be since I would have expected some nasal discharge and watery eyes if it was Mycoplasma or CRD. Infectious Bronchitis is a possibility as well as Infectious Laryngotracheitis however both these usually produce more cold type symptoms.  Anyone any ideas?

Many thanks,
HF

[joyfull]

what are her poohs like HF?

[hillfooter]

what are her poohs like HF?

She obviously is not laying and had been broody for some time.  When I lifted her off the nestbox having noted her apparent gaping she had some urinates on her rear and some yellow cheesy looking urinates around her vent which I washed clean.  Since then (Thursday last) she has been clean and although her droppings were quite runny with white urinates initially I'd now say they were fairly normal though not quite as firm, probably refleting the wormer and mainly liquid intake.  She took the medicated water very readily initially but now she's recovering she's not so keen to have the medicated water squirted down her throat and she struggles a bit, which I take as a sign she's recovering.

I'm not a great believer in making a diagnosis from droppings unless they are very distinctive and persistent as they are generally very variable.  In this case there's nothing very noticably abnormal apart from there's not a lot of quantity which could be as she's not eating a lot.  Last night I gave her some scrambled egg which usualy disappears quickly and she ignored it, but I note this morning it's all gone.  

My current plan is to keep her isolated (she's in an 18inch high 5ft dia brooder in a empty stable) and continue the medication for a week.  Review her then and if the rales are still present then I'll have to decide whether I continue keeping her isolated or cull her which I'm reluctant to do if she's otherwise OK.  I also need to examine her house mates closely to check if there are others with rales.

Thanks for taking an interest Joy.
HF

[Jeanette]

Congratulations on spotting that one of your girls was not herself. As a complete novice i would not know what to do so i have still got so much to learn. Hope every thing turns out ok.

[joyfull]

the cheesey looking urates and gaping could be a sign of vent gleet, in which case she could need an anti fungal preparation both orally and around her vent (vet prescribes nystatin for mine but you could try canistan cream and medication). Some vets will prescribe anti biotics for it as besides being fungal it is bacterial but they made the situation worse with mine. Last year I got six chicks and a cockerel and all had this - sadly as they were so you they all died but it is treatable. Mine however being so young had it from their throats into their guts and not around the vent as theirs was more than likely a hatching problem (according to the autopsy I had done) and not from mouldy food or from an infected cockerel.

[hillfooter]

Interesting thought Joy.  In fact I mist her with Vanodine V18 whenever I go in as an disinfectant and a fungal infection did cross my mind.  I've heard that oxine is a good misting agent for respiratory fungus infections but last time I checked it didn't seem to be available in the UK.  Even if it's not exclusively this it could be a contributing factor and the yellow urinates were quite smelly.

I'll try to get hold of some nystatin if this looks suitable.

Thanks joy
HF

[hillfooter]

Well the good news is that the Barnevelder which I whad been treating these last 5 days this evening seemed so well recovered that I decided to put her back with her house mates.  The symptoms including the rales were no longer evident and she was eating.  The bad news is that another of her house mates, a Buff Sussex, has gone down with it so she's now started the treatment and in the isolation ward.  I think I'm going to have a thouugh clean up and disinfection and start all her house mates on a course of a/b's in the hope of preventing further outbreaks.  At least I know what seems to be effective.

I suspect now that it's not gleet which is more likely to strike young birds in anycase but it is something worth considering as a possibility.
HF

[joyfull]

if they are running with a cock and it keeps coming back then treat him for vent gleet (it can be transmitted sexually in adult birds) as well, however hopefully it is all sorted now 

[hillfooter]

Yes Sylvester my avatar is their cock so I'll treat him.  Interestingly he had what I thought was Favus which effects the comb primarily and is caused by a fungus so you may have hit on something there Joy.
Thanks
HF

[joyfull]

glad to help 

[hillfooter]

if they are running with a cock and it keeps coming back then treat him for vent gleet (it can be transmitted sexually in adult birds) as well, however hopefully it is all sorted now  

Just a minute though ..sexual transmission might explain the vent gleet but what about the gaping and throat infection??? .......................HF

[joyfull]

vent gleet can be anywhere in the birds insides from throat downwards - if sexually transmitted you can expect the vent area but they can also digest it from eating grass etc that they or another bird has pooped on. In an autopsy it shows up as white platelets in their throats (hence the gaping) and goes all the way through  .
If you have had a child with thrush and look inside their mouth you will see white growths that are "stuck " onto their gums (never try to remove this) and this is the same as vent gleet.

[Casey76]

HF 

Far too early on a morning for that kind of talk!

[joyfull]

Quite agree Casey so have removed that bit